Three-way Senate debate in Moorhead
By Dan Gunderson
Minnesota Public Radio
October 16, 2002

Three candidates for U.S. Senate seat squared off in a televised debate in Moorhead. Incumbent DFL Sen. Paul Wellstone and challengers Republican Norm Coleman and Independence Party's Jim Moore took questions from a media panel and audience members.

The debate at Concordia College in Moorhead was calm compared with recent meetings between Wellstone and Coleman.
Independence party candidate Jim Moore was a last minute addition to the debate after he passed a five percent threshold
in a recent political poll. Listen to the entire debate.
(MPR Photo/Vern Goodin)

The debate at Concordia College in Moorhead was calm compared with recent meetings between Wellstone and Coleman.
Independence party candidate Jim Moore was a last minute addition to the debate after he passed a five percent threshold
in a recent political poll.

All three candidates laid out their positions on Social Security, agriculture, and education.

A question about negative campaign ads drew immediate applause from the audience.

Republican Norm Coleman inferred that Democrat Wellstone is responsible for the negative tone of the campaign.

"I'm running against a senator who -- at least the last couple of days -- only had negative ads going. I've got an ad that talks
about my vision on prescription drugs which we should have delivered to seniors by now. I've even got my daughter out there
talking in a positive way. Lift it up a little bit," Coleman said.

Coleman argued all his campaign ads focus on Sen. Wellstones record. Wellstone contended he was forced into a negative campaign.

"All summer I didn't do it. There was on the radio attacks. At the
State Fair was attacks. After Labor Day the attacks started. I waited and waited and waited, but they kept going with the
negative attacks. Look, I'm 5'5". At some point I don't let it go on and I defend myself," Wellstone said.

The subject of negative campaign ads was a slam dunk for
Independence Party candidate Jim Moore. He can't afford to run campaign ads. Moore gleefully pointed
to the Wellstone and Coleman campaigns as a prime example of
big money taking over the process.

"I want us all to wake up. I want us to take this country back from these special interests. They're determining the issues,
they're defining the debate and they're leaving room only for
their narrow solutions. We need to wake up and get money out
of this game because this is what you're seeing with it. I'm just
frustrated as I'm sure many of you are," said Moore.

All three candidates returned often to their mantra. Wellstone promised to fight big business.
"I'm a watchdog for people in Minnesota, never afraid to take
on those economic interests and always I'm there for jobs, education, healthcare, family farmers, small business, the people in Minnesota. That's who I represent," he said.

"Judge us on our records. You can feel all the pain, and I do. About folks out there hurting. And I want to do something about it. It's not enough to say you've been out there fighting. It's not enough to say you've been out there pounding the table. Did
you get it done?" said Coleman.

Coleman asked voters to look at his record as mayor of St. Paul,
a record he said is filled with examples of bipartisan solutions.

Jim Moore urged voters to vote based on principle, not politics. "I fully intend to be the voice of the people that I think has been stolen away from the money you've seen in politics today. You'll
see common sense from me, I think you'll see it on my Web site.
I just challenge you to have the courage to do that. With that courage you'll be rewarded, you'll have a senator who stands
in the center of every debate in the U.S. Senate."

Green Party candidate Ray Trimoco was not invited to the U.S. Senate debate in Moorhead.